Getting a shiny new toy is great, but nothing beats the special thrill of realizing something you already have can do something incredible you never knew it could. That's the magic behind repurposing tricks and hacks, and we've had many great ones over this last year. Here are the most popular from 2012.

You've registered a personal domain name because you thought you'd create a web site and never did. Or maybe you're just hosting a custom email address and you wish you were doing more. There are plenty of clever ways you can use your custom domain name to promote yourself, provide yourself with quick information, or just do something cool. Here are our favorites. More »

Power outages are never any fun, but they're even worse if you get hit with one when you don't have any candles around. Thankfully, Instructables user DualPhase shares a way to convert an orange into a candle in a pinch. More »

Your laptop-your enduring partner and long-lived friend-has finally succumbed to the ephemeral nature of its existence. You've spent a few days crying tears of love and loss, finally reaching the conclusion that the most logical course of action is to resurrect the poor, fallen computer you cannot live without. But what are your options? What can you do with a laptop whose lifeline has run short? More »

These days, everyone travels with two or more internet-connected devices (e.g., your laptop and your phone), but many hotels still require you to pay exorbitant daily charges for each connection. Luckily, you can rectify this injustice by using your laptop as a turnkey wireless access point. More »

Instructables user stickmop shares a trick to tell basic barometric pressure using a hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa; when you pour the coffee into the cup watch the bubbles. If they move to the edge of the cup quickly you can expect clear skies for the next 12 hours, if they hang out in the center expect rain in the next 12 hours, and if the bubbles move slowly to the edge you may get a bit of weather, but it will clear soon. More »

If you want to start a fire it's best to keep some matches or a lighter on you, but there's always the possibility you won't have one. Secret Tips from the Yumiverse created a guide to start a fire with something you probably always have access to: water. More »

There are a lot of fun ways you can reuse beer and wine bottles. Two months ago I showed you how to build a glass cutting jig on the cheap to make wine bottle glasses, but YouTube user TrashPeaches shares another easy method of precision cutting of glass bottles using acetone (nail polish remover), a cotton string, and fire. More »

Ever find yourself with your Mac or iPad power adapter, a bottle of beer, and nothing to open the beer with? Of course you have! Graphic designer Eva Giselle discovered that her iPad adapter-and from the looks of it, basically any Apple power adapter-makes for a great bottle opener. More »

The tablet market is just heating up, but chances are if you were an early adopter you've already upgraded at least once. Even if not, plenty of people have purchased a tablet only to realize they don't have a really good use for one. So, what's that old touch screen good for anyway? Let's take a look at some of the more clever uses. More »

Ever had a spray bottle that you couldn't get that last bit of juice out of? It's annoying, and it's a waste. Thankfully, Instructables user DIYHacksAndHowTos shows off a cheap and simple method to make a spray bottle work regardless of which position you hold it in. More »

There you have it. It has been a great year for repurposing, clever uses, and other reuse projects this year. Whether your favorite of the year made the list or not, we'd love to hear about your favorite repurposing posts in the comments. And for the greatest hits of yesteryear, check out our biggest repurposing hits from 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008.